Pages

Saturday, May 30, 2015

No Better Man by Sara Richardson

About NO BETTER MAN

A Daring Proposition

When it comes to business, Avery King always comes out on top. So after a very public breakup, work is the perfect excuse to flee the Windy City for the gentle breezes of Aspen, Colorado. Her mission: acquire the land of a rundown mountain ranch. Avery expects an easy win . . . until she meets the rugged and irresistible rancher who won't give up his property without a fight. Bryce Walker is stunned by the stubborn beauty determined to get what she wants. But what she wants is his last connection to the life he used to have. Bryce has plans to return the ranch to its former glory and no way will he sell his family home. Yet the more time he spends with Avery, the more her sweet touch makes him forget his painful memories. Now Bryce must decide whether living in the past is worth losing his future . . .

Ah, hell. Not this. What was it with women, anyway? Why’d
they have this burning desire to get to the bottom of absolutely every feeling
they had? Why couldn’t they sit in silence, enjoy the scenery? “I don’t know you
well enough to be upset with you,” he finally said, increasing his pressure on
the gas pedal. The cops were notorious for pulling over speeders on this
section through town, but tonight he was willing to risk “Look.” Avery’s hands
sliced the air in front of her. “I understand why you don’t want to sell. Trust
me. I get it.”

Ha. Trust her. He didn’t trust her any more than he trusted
her father. At the end of the day, she worked for the infamous Edward King. She
might be smokin’ hot and nice, and, like she insisted, a good person, but she
still had a job to do. He wouldn’t forget that.

Instead of answering, he leaned over and flicked on the
radio. Nothing like a little Brad Paisley to tune out a woman.

Avery shot him a fiery look, topaz eyes blazing, lips
thinned into a warning that tempted him to test her.

That didn’t help things. She looked even better when she
got mad. His grip on the wheel tightened until his knuckles ached. Mom was
right. He had to get out more. Start dating again. Any woman besides Avery
King…

She hunched forward and fiddled with the radio until he
could hardly hear Paisley. Fine. That was fine. Five more minutes and they’d be
back at the ranch anyway.

He’d be free of her.

“You need to listen to me, Bryce. Please.” She launched
into yet another impassioned monologue about how selling the ranch could change
his life.

Yeah, well. He’d had enough changes in his life over the
last few years. So sue him if he wasn’t interested. She didn’t seem to pick up
on his lack of concentration, though. She went on and on until he pulled the
truck into the driveway and parked in front of the office.

“Are you listening to me?” She leaned over the console
between them and got in his face, close enough that he could smell oranges,
that he could trace the sexy curve of her upper lip with his tongue if he’d
wanted to.

“Have you heard anything I’ve said?”

The throb started again, deep in his chest, invading his
body until it occupied all of him.

“Seriously, Bryce this is—”

Screw it. He cupped his hand around the back of her head
and roughly brought her lips to his, totally unprepared for the impact it would
have. Shock waves coursed through him, unleashing a craving stronger than he’d
ever felt.

Avery squeaked in surprise but he didn’t let up. Need
thundered through him and it was a helluva lot louder than the logic he’d spent
the last several hours beating into his thick skull. Her lips were soft and
moist and everything he’d hungered for during the last three lonely years. He
gentled a hand up into her hair. It felt like silk against his skin.

A small moan purred in her throat and her upper body
relaxed, lips melding to his in a pulsating heat. She ran her hands up his
chest, and that was all he needed. He bent forward, halfway over the console,
gathering her closer, kissing her harder, deeper. If it wasn’t for that
console, he’d pull her right into his lap…

“Wow. Just…wow,” she whispered against his lips.

He answered by parting her lips with his tongue. There.
That’d take care of her chatting problem.

Avery gasped a sharp intake of air, her chest rising
against his.

Taking it as an invitation, he commanded her with his
lips, opening and closing them in a sensual rhythm. A dull ache resounded in
his chest. God, he’d forgotten the depth of a kiss…

He shifted to get a better angle, more access, but that
console…

She pulled back with a small smile, lips grazing his in a
tease, then she pressed in again and proved that she could make out as well as
she could talk.

What do I think?Well, this was a very enjoyable story; when things go south for Avery King she heads to Aspen for work. In Aspen, Avery needs to get the land owned by Bryce Walker. Obviously Bryce says no and these two start butting heads. Not to worry, a little fighting is very good for a budding romance.Bryce is swoon worthy, at least the way I picture him in my head he is; plus the cover on the book helps with that. Avery is so awesome, she's strong and smart; this is such a plus because you normally get these pushover females. The way Bryce and Avery play off each other really helps you get invested in the story.Rating 5 out of 5Read@Book

Sara Richardson grew up chasing adventure in Colorado's rugged mountains. She's climbed to the top of a 14,000-foot peak atmidnight, swam through Class IV rapids, completed her wilderness first-aid certification, and spent seven days at a time tromping through the wilderness with a thirty-pound backpack strapped to her shoulders.

Eventually, Sara did the responsible thing and got an education in writing and journalism. After a brief stint in the corporate writing world, she stopped ignoring the voices in her head and started writing fiction. Now, she uses her experience as a mountain adventure guide to write stories that incorporate adventure with romance. Still indulging her adventurous spirit, Sara lives and plays in Colorado with her saint of a husband and two young sons.